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Dining Halls
Amanda Standard Currently, there are four main dining halls on the University of Georgia campus. They include, Bolton, Snelling, Oglethorpe or "O-House," and The Village Summit. However, these are not the only eateries available on campus as there are also many other places such as food courts and other smaller restaurants off campus . General Information The four dining halls are scattered across campus. Bolton Dining Commons is located on Baxter Hill and is within convenient walking distance to the main freshman high rises, which are Creswell, Brumby, and Russell. Bolton is the largest of the dining halls, which can be attributed to its three stories of seating. Snelling Dining Commons is more centrally located on campus, and is next to the Georgia Center for Continuing Education. It is the oldest dining hall on campus and has undergone many expansions to keep up with the growth in student population. "O-House" is located right next to the Oglethorpe Freshman dorm right off of Lumpkin Street. It was recently remolded and went from the least popular dining hall to one of the more popular ones. It also often has a pianist playing live throughout the day. The Village Summit is inside of Joe Frank Harris Commons, which is on East Campus (“UGA Location”). Because it is on East Campus, it is the most inconvenient dining hall for the majority of students. Students can easily ride a bus to East Campus, however it is important to remember that the buses stop running regularly at six (“UGA transit”). The Village Summit is the newest dining hall and since its creation has been a student favorite. Out of a survey of 30 people, the vast majority chose the Village Summit. (Survey). Hours These are the normal operating hours for the dining halls. However, the dining halls often close during long breaks such as Thanksgiving. Students should check the hours of the dining halls around university breaks and plan to eat accordingly. (“UGA Food Services”). Dining Hall Rules/Etiquette Besides the normal restaurant etiquette that people expect in a dining environment, there are a few other expectations. Because the dining halls can become quite crowded during meal times, it can be rude to take up a large table by yourself or with only a friend or two. Many people also try to save a seat before getting their food, while this is normally fine, it is rude during meal times because others have a harder time of finding a seat. Because there are also tray returns in every dining hall, students are expected to use them. Leaving a tray on the table can give other students the impression that the table is taken, and often will result in the dining hall staff having to remove them. The dining halls staff are normally very friendly, but students should remember to always say “please” and “thank you” when getting custom food. Because there can be limited seating at the dining halls, students are encouraged to sit with new people. Though it is often daunting to many students, it is often a quick and easy way to make new friends. Along with being able to socialize, many students enjoy working on homework , as the dining halls also provide Wi-Fi. Another important thing to know about the dining halls is that you can only take a limited amount of food out of the halls. Students can normally take things like ice cream, cookies, and pop-tarts out of the hall, however, many things beyond will often be confiscated. The dining halls have security cameras, and if they catch students sneaking food out of the halls, it can lead to being removed from the meal plan ("UGA Insider”). "Let the Big Dawg Eat" Meal Plan Because many freshman live in the dorms, many purchase the meal plan out of convenience. To purchase a meal plan, students would need to access the UGA food serves website and log into a screen where they can select either the 5-day or the 7-day meal plan. The 5 day is $3,590.00 and the 7 day is $3,792.00 for a year which is payed in half each semester. Because the 7-day is only 200 dollars more, many UGA staff claim that it is cheaper because students get two more days worth of food. However, all of the Dining Halls close at two on Sunday, so students would have to find somewhere else for dinner (“UGA Meal Plan”). After purchasing the meal plan, students are able to access the dining halls by sliding their UGA ID into the machine or entering in their UGA ID number and then scanning their hand. After the device recognizes their hand, they are allowed entrance. Sometimes however, the machines will not recognize a students hand and will have to be allowed entrance by the dining staff (“UGA Meal Plan Cards”). Students can go into the dining halls as many times as they wish while on the meal plan and are not charge additionally. Because it is a buffet, students can also eat as much as they want. Without the meal plan, students can still access the dining halls, but will have to pay each time they enter. The meal plans stay at a fixed price at all the halls of $8.25 for breakfast, $10.50 for lunch, and $14.95 for dinner. Students can pay with cash, bulldawg bucks, or regular credit cards such as master card and visa (“UGA location”). On game days, many people go to the dining halls besides students, so expect the halls to be crowded and should plan accordingly. Food Options Though many dining halls contain some of the same foods, many have a unique dishes about them which separates them from the others. Bolton's main food dish is the “breakfast all day” which features omelets made to order. It also has a very large salad bar which many different toppings. At Snelling, the main feature is the Giorgio's Pizza which also offers many other pasta items. O-House has many distinct features, including the Oriental Trading Market with made to order stir fry and the O'Casa Wraps which has made or order wraps and quesadillas. O-House also has the Country Chicken Unlimited with different types of chicken as well as country dishes such as mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and collard greens. It also has a coffee bar called Joe at the O' where students place their order on a touch screen computer and then their order is called out to them a few minutes later. The Village Summit has a variety of smoothies as well as custom pizzas ("UGA menu”). Besides Bolton, which promotes its “breakfast all day,” most of the dining halls have the same breakfast items which include cereals, make it yourself waffles, scrambled eggs, and bacon. There are also other items such as french toast and pancakes which differ depending on what day it is. Often times, food such as the cereals are available all day. For lunch and dinner, most offer a made to order sandwich line as well as foods such as hamburgers and pasta. All of the dining halls also have a variety of ice cream, however, vanilla, chocolate and Italian ice are always available. They also have different types of desserts that change every day. They vary from cakes, cookies, pies, pudding, and jello. There are often multiple selections as well (“UGA menu”). Other Options In the dining halls, besides the wide variety of food, they also made several dishes custom as well as other accommodations for vegetarians and food allergy awareness. They also have a vegetarian line with variety of food, and also often ofter other vegetables in the regular line. They also offer other food that is allergy free, such as gluten, peanut and lactose. Often, if a food does contain a popular allergy, they will warn everyone by writing on the label for the food. Almost all the made to order lines have a wider variety of choices for toppings. However, students often can not portion the food which can be problematic for those not trying to gain the freshman fifteen . The dishes that are custom include the Oriental Trading Market stir fry, all of the sandwich lines, O'Casa wraps and quesadillas, omelets, some hamburgers, and the specialty pizzas. The custom foods are very popular, which is obvious due to the normal length of the lines. People can also special order food, such as ordering just a plain chicken breast instead of a chicken sandwich. The dining halls are often very accommodating ("UGA menu”). Special Events Occasionally, the dining halls will have a special event where they decorate the inside as well as have special food. They include, 5-Star Dinner, Sunset Breakfast, the Bulldawg Homecoming Dinner, and the Taste of Home as well as others. It is these special events that have given the dining halls so many awards. They often rearrange the normal food lines and decorate for these events. They also often leave the decorations up for a while because they are also seasonal. At the 5-Star Dinner, they offered many different elaborate dishes which is quite different from the typical menu. The Sunset Breakfast offered breakfast food such as pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs, sausage, apple cider and similar items at dinner. The Bulldawg Homecoming Dinner is a casual dinner featuring custom hamburgers and hotdogs ("UGA special events”). The Taste of Home is also special. The university sends out forms to students' families where they can fill out a recipe and then send it back. The chefs will then cook the dishes and select a few to serve to everyone. The winners will also get awarded plates and placed on a list of other winners ("UGA Taste of Home”). Works Cited “UGA Food Services.” 2011. Food Services. 1 November 2011. . “UGA Transit.” 8 Apirl 2011. Transit Services. 1 November 2011. . Standard, Amanda. “What is your favorite dining hall?” Survey. 31, October, 2011. “UGA Insider.” 2009. University of Georgia Student Government Association. 1 November 2011. . “UGA Menu.” 2011. Food Services. 1 November 2011. . Category:Food